Only TOR can access the Lounge

I've tried to access the Lounge from Chrome and IE on my PC. When that didn't work, I turned to my Android mobile. Tried Chrome mobile, Opera mobile and even the stock Android browser. None of them worked. Every other website works fine. I suspected an IP address problem and decided to download and try out TOR. Only then did the Lounge load.

Yesterday when the Lounge didn't load, I input the Lounge address into DownForEveryoneOrJustMe and it showed that the website was down. But, when I tried again today, it showed that Windows Secrets was up. That's when I suspected if my IP address was being blocked.

So, why is my IP address being blocked, mods? It's highly inconvenient to keep using TOR, just for a single website.

Forgot to mention that all my PCs and mobiles connect to a router for Internet access. The phone doesn't have an independent data connection; it relies on the Wifi. This means that all the devices have IP addresses in the same range, right?

Your account is not blocked, which means we have done nothing "against" you as we have no reason to do so. It's also impossible to know which IP is being affected, as you are using Tor.
We do not use IP banning. Even members who are banned can actually reach the forum, they just aren't able to read or post anything. So, I think you need to look elsewhere to find out the cause for your problem, sorry.

Is it just the lounge of the whole Windows Secret site?
Yes, all devices use the same range, but your public IP is part of your ISPs range so all users in your area should be similarly affected.
It is possible that there is a path issue between you and the WS servers so TOR gets around it because it uses a different path.

It seems an issue with your ISP's DNS servers. I suggest you enter an alternative DNS server in your network card settings - enter your ISP dns first and then try Google's own DNS server. This may help or not, I am not sure. I manually entered Google's DNS servers since my ISP's servers have a tendency to fail at certain hours of the day. Since I did it, no more issues have occurred.

192.168.0.1 is my router, which will be the normal DNS server (it will use the ISP's server, when contacted for name server resolution). If it fails to obtain the DNS through that, I have specified Google's DNS as alternate servers (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4).

The error message on the image you posted is pretty clear - the DNS lookup failed.

I don't bother to use alternate DNS settings, I let the router and DHCP sort it all out. The only issues I have are my router slows down over a period of about a month and then requires a re-boot - this is the second one with this issue, must be a generic problem with the cheap rubbish my ISP passes off as a router.

I don't bother to use alternate DNS settings, I let the router and DHCP sort it all out. The only issues I have are my router slows down over a period of about a month and then requires a re-boot - this is the second one with this issue, must be a generic problem with the cheap rubbish my ISP passes off as a router.

cheers, Paul

Well, if I did likewise, I would have to accept being without internet access almost daily, since there is regular window where DNS access is lost. Adding the alternate servers made the problem go away, so it seems a good solution to me. I did it because during the "failure" window, not even rebooting the router solved the problem.

Nope, Time Warner isn't my ISP. Also, I did ask this question but I didn't get an answer:

Why was windowssecrets.com the only page that was affected? If it was a problem with my ISP's DNS server, why weren't none of the other web sites affected? Perhaps you could help me solve this mystery, RG?